RENAISSANCE MAY 2023

Qur’ ā nic Exegesis 9 | Monthly Renaissance May 2023 The L ORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.” Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. He said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them.” (Exodus, 24:12-14) In S ū rah al-A‘r ā f, this is mentioned thus: ﻟﻴﻠﺔ Z[ ﻓﺘﻢ ﻣﻴﻘﺎت رﺑﻪ ر]ﻌ ` ﻟﻴﻠﺔ و ﺗﻤﻤﻨﻬﺎ ]ﻌ Z[ ! ﺛﻠﺜ L ًًٰو وﻋﺪﻧﺎ ﻣﻮ $ & $ۡ $ۡۡۡۡ $ $ $ $ۡۡۡ ) ) $ۡ ' $ $ $ۤ $ٖ ) $ ' ' ) $ $ $ٍۡ $ۡ ) $ٰ $ٰ & $ $ٰ $ > و ﻗﺎل $ $ $ و ﺻﻠﺢوﻵﻹﺗﺘﺒﻊﺳﺒﻴ hi ﻗﻮ Dj!" !ﻵﻹﺧﻴﻪﻫﺮون ﺧﻠﻔ L ۡۡۡۡﻣﻮ ) ) $ $ $ۡ $ 'ۡ $ۡ $ $ٰ )ۡۡ $ۡۡ ) $ۡۡ ) ) & $ & ) ) )ٰ & ﻞ ﻟﻤﻔﺴﺪﻳﻦ $ۡ ) )ۡ &ۡ $ )٧: ١٤٢ ( And We took a promise of thirty nights from Moses and completed it with ten further nights; so, as a result of this, forty nights were completed as the time appointed by his Lord. 3 And Moses said to his brother Aaron: “After me, be in my place among my people and keep reforming them and do not tread the path of the mischief-mongers.” (7:142) This haste shown by Moses (sws), as is evident from his own words, was the result of his zeal and his passion to earn God’s pleasure. Viewed thus, it had nothing wrong in it. In fact, it was a consequence of his love for God. However, this haste became a source of great trial for him and his nation. Taking advantage of his absence, the miscreants among them led the nation to the trial of cow worship. In spite of his full effort, Aaron (sws) was not able to control the situation. Until then, the temperament of Moses’ (sws) nation was of being swayed by emotions. It has been mentioned in S ū rah al-A‘r ā f that right after crossing the sea when they encountered idol-worshipping nations, they demanded from him to make an idol for them the way those nations had done. This incident took place just before him going to the mount Ṭū r. He had also scolded these miscreants on this demand. He must have been well aware of them and must have 3. Initially, this promise was for thirty days. However, in his eagerness to meet the Almighty, Moses (sws) reached the place before the appointed time. Thus, in order to train and instruct him for showing haste, the Almighty increased the period from thirty days to forty.